Film Archive

Red Cockatoo, The (Rote Kakadu, Der)

In spring 1961, 20-year-old Siggi comes to Dresden to work as a scenery painter at the theater. There he falls head over heels in love with the young poet Luise, who makes him acquainted not only with the notorious dance club "Der Rote Kakadu," but also with the boisterous, impulsive Wolle, her husband. While Siggi discovers an entirely new and fascinating world in “The Red Cockatoo”, he also soon finds himself struggling with his growing feelings for Luise. The clique is thirsting for freedom and self-fulfilment and Siggi decides to master his own fate and takes a decisive step...

The Red Cockatoo is a dramatic love story set in the spring of 1961, the year in which the Berlin Wall went up. A craving for life, rebellion, rock 'n' roll and, above all, the legendary Dresden dance club "Roter Kakadu" are the focus of this film, an authentic and passionate depiction of youthful protest in the former East Germany.

Dominik Graf was born in 1952 in Munich. He studied German and Musical Sciences, and transferred to the Academy of Television & Film in Munich in 1974. He received the Bavarian Film Award for his graduation film Der kostbare Gast (1979). He has played a decisive role in developing the profile of the TV series Der Fahnder and has alternated regularly between film and TV productions. In 1988, he received a German Film Award for his thriller Die Katze. His film Spieler (1990) was shown at Venice in 1990. His other films include: Tiger, Loewe, Panther (1989), The Invincibles (Die Sieger, 1994), the Tatort-episode Frau Bu lacht (1995), Der Skorpion (1996), Doktor Knock (1996), Deine besten Jahre (TV, 1998), Bittere Unschuld (1999), Sperling und der brennende Arm (TV, 1999), the documentary Munich - Secrets of a City (Muenchen - Geheimnisse einer Stadt, 2000), A Map of the Heart (Der Felsen, 2001), Die Freunde der Freunde (TV, 2002), Hotte im Paradies (2002), The Red Cockatoo (Der Rote Kakadu, 2005), and many more.
 

Genre Drama
Category Feature Film Cinema
Year of Production 2005
Director Dominik Graf
Screenplay Michael Klier, Karin Astroem, Guenter Schuetter
Director of Photography Benedict Neuenfels
Editor Christel Suckow
Production Design Claus-Juergen Pfeiffer
Producer Manuela Stehr
Production Company X Filme Creative Pool/Berlin, in co-production with German Filmproduction GFP/Berlin, SevenPictures Film/Unterfoehring, in cooperation with SAT.1/Berlin
Principal Cast Max Riemelt, Jessica Schwarz, Ronald Zehrfeld, Ingeborg Westphal, Tanja Schleiff, Volker Zack Michalowski, Klaus Manchen, Heiko Senst, Nadja Petri, Lutz Teschner
Casting An Dorthe Braker
Length 128 min, 2,641 m
Format 35 mm, color, cs
Original Version German
Subtitled Versions English
Sound Technology Dolby Digital
Festival Screenings Berlin 2006 (Panorama), Moscow 2006, Copenhagen 2006, Hamptons 2006, Molodist Kiev 2006, Marrakech 2006 (In Competition), Cairo 2006
Awards Bavarian Film Award 2005 (Best Newcomer Actor: Max Riemelt), Best Film & Best Actor Marrakech 2006, Porto 2007
With backing from German Federal Film Board (FFA), Mitteldeutsche Medienfoerderung, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
German Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures Germany/Hamburg

World Sales
Bavaria Film International / Dept. of Bavaria Media GmbH
Thorsten Ritter
Bavariafilmplatz 7
82031 Geiselgasteig/Germany
phone +49-89-64 99 26 86
fax +49-89-64 99 37 20
email: international@bavaria-film.de
http://www.bavaria-film-international.com

 
Trailer
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